Sylvester, Georgia
Sylvester is a city in and the county seat of Worth County, Georgia. The population of the city is 6,188. Demographics As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the city is: 62.14% Black or African American (3,845) 35.37% White (2,189) 2.49% Other (154) 24.2% (1,497) of Sylvester residents live below the poverty line. Theft rate statistics Sylvester has average rates of Pokemon theft and murder. The city reported 11 Pokemon thefts in 2018, and averages 1.58 murders a year. Pokemon See the Worth County page for more info. Fun facts * Sylvester started as a "beautiful nowhere" in 1893 and was first called "Isabella Station". When the Brunswick and Albany Railroad came through southwest Georgia, the county seat was Isabella, which is located three miles north of the railroad. Slowly, however, the center of trade and commerce shifted south along the railroad. Two other towns, Poulan and Sumner, sprang up along the railroad in Worth County, but it was Isabella Station that grew and prospered the fastest. In 1894, the citizens voted to change the name to "Sylvester". In 1898, Sylvester voted to incorporate and on December 21 of that year the Georgia Legislature agreed to incorporate it as a city. * There have been four courthouses since Worth County was created in 1853. The first was a two-story frame structure on the public square in Isabella, which was then Worth's county seat. This building burned down in 1879, and a schoolhouse was used as a temporary courthouse until a new one could be built in 1893 — but that structure soon burned also. A new courthouse was constructed the following year, but in 1904 the legislature changed the county seat from Isabella to Sylvester. ** The next year, a new courthouse was built on Sylvester's public square. In January 1982, the new Worth County courthouse also suffered major fire damage due at the hands of arsonist Max Hufstetler. Hufstetler had been arrested in Worth County for a string of home and church burglaries. He decided that if he burned down the Worth County Courthouse, then the evidence that had been seized during his arrest could not be used against him in court. On 27 January 1982, he committed arson and the Worth County Courthouse was destroyed. Hufstetler was later convicted of arson in the first degree and his conviction was upheld in 1984 on appeal. The courthouse was repaired and the still sits on the public square in Sylvester. * The Peanut Festival is an annual festival held on the third weekend of October in T.C. Jeffords Park to celebrate the city's status as Peanut Capital of the World. The event is sponsored by the Sylvester/Worth Chamber of Commerce and ConAgra Foods, makers of Peter Pan peanut butter. Activities include one of the largest parades in the southeast and a beauty pageant with up to 100 contestants. Craftsmen from all over the state come to Sylvester to showcase their creations at the festival. Live entertainment and carnival attractions are usually on hand as well. * Sylvester has a bit of amenities to offer. It has a Walmart, Nintendo World, Sylvester Airport, a bit of fast food, some local restaurants and businesses, a few motels, a few car dealerships, a sports complex, a few public battle fields, CVS, and a few other things. Category:Georgia Cities